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Clifford Goes To Dog School

Norman Bridwell - Author

Clifford’s dog-school lessons lead to comic mishaps, but his value is not measured by how well he follows commands. The story turns on his helping Emily Elizabeth when she is in danger.

More about this book

In this brand-new, original story by Norman Bridwell, Clifford saves the day -- and learns a few tricks along the way! Emily Elizabeth is taking Clifford to dog school. His teacher tries to show Clifford how to heel. But the leash is too short and she's swept off her feet. Then she tells clifford to sit. He sits-on top of a passing stranger! Poor Clifford-he just can't get anything right! But when Emily Elizabeth forgets to look both ways before crossing the street, Clifford comes to her rescue. And Emily Elizabeth realizes that, although he's not the most well-trained dog, he's perfect just the way he is.

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Book Analysis

At a Glance

Discover

Acceptance· AffirmedTraining· AffirmedHelpfulness· Affirmed

Consider

Violence and harmViolence

Personalised Fit

Beyond the Cover

acceptancetraininghelpfulness

FictionPicture book

Themes in Context

Being valued beyond obedience

Clifford struggles with dog-school instructions but helps Emily Elizabeth when she is in danger; she concludes that he is perfect as he is.

How the book presents it: The ending affirms Clifford’s worth despite his imperfect training, while his helpful action matters more than simply following commands.

Talk about: Does the story suggest that being a good companion means more than following instructions?

Why It May Be Worth Reading

The ending offers a warm counterpoint to pressure to be perfectly trained: Clifford is valued as he is. His rescue also makes the story’s idea of good judgement more complicated than simply obeying commands.

What Deserves Attention

Training mishaps include Clifford sitting on a passing stranger; later, Emily Elizabeth crosses the street without checking and Clifford rescues her. The peril is part of the story’s resolution.

A Conversation Worth Having

What makes Clifford a good companion in the story: following instructions, helping someone, or something else? How does the ending shape your view?

Reading Approach

Read the training episodes for their comic mishaps, then pause at the street-crossing moment. You could ask what each character might do differently next time without losing sight of Clifford’s helpfulness.

Confidence & Basis

Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.

What remains unconfirmed

Being valued beyond obedience: The story’s focus is on Clifford’s training mishaps and his rescue of Emily Elizabeth.

Clifford Goes To Dog School by Norman Bridwell | Open Library

Limited information

Checked: 1 October 2026.

Relevant to: Being valued beyond obedience

Clifford Goes to Dog School